Square Enix developer Naoki ‘Yoshi-P’ Yoshida has apologized for his earlier comments on Final Fantasy 16’s PC release date, now telling fans that the JRPG game’s exclusivity period doesn’t mean automatically that a port of Final Fantasy 16 for PC will be released immediately afterwards.
Final Fantasy 16 producer Naoki Yoshida, who is also known for his influence on the MMORPG Final Fantasy 14, spoke to PlayStation Blog Japan about the upcoming release. The comments below were executed via Google Translate and have been edited for clarity where necessary.
“I made a little noise with my comments, but I would like to refer to the PC version,” begins Yoshida. “First of all, it’s true that Final Fantasy XVI is a six-month limited time exclusive on the PS5 platform. However, it’s a completely different story that the PC version will be released in six months. I’m going to be clear, but the PC version won’t be released for another six months.”
Unfortunately, you have it. Just because Final Fantasy XVI’s PS5 exclusive ends after six months, leaving the possibility of other platforms around December 2023, doesn’t mean a PC release will immediately follow. In fact, a little footnote in the trailer confirmed that any other release wouldn’t be until 2024 anyway.
“That’s because we spend a lot of time and money optimizing the PS5 platform to deliver the best gaming experience,” Yoshida continues. “Of course, I would like to release a PC version at some point so that everyone can play as many games as possible. However, even if we start optimizing the PC version after the PS5 version is released, we do not won’t be able to optimize it in six months, so it won’t be out anytime soon. I’d like to release it eventually, and I think I will, but I’m not at the stage where I can say when .
“If the PC version comes out in six months, I can leave the company. Don’t say, ‘I won’t buy the PS5 version because the PC version will come out in six months.’
Yoshida clearly wants Final Fantasy 16 to come out on PC, just like Final Fantasy 7 Remake did over a year after the PS4 release, but he can’t commit to a time frame just yet because the version PS5 unfortunately takes precedence.
You can find out more in the full article on the Japanese PlayStation Blog.
While we wait, it’s worth checking out our list of the best Final Fantasy games to keep you busy. If you want to know what else is coming this year, stick with – Game News and our list of the best games coming in 2023.